Allegory 

Goro Kumagai made this print, Allegory, using lithography, a printing process which relies on the contrast between greasy and water-receptive areas on a flat stone or metal plate. The rough, textured areas of red and black show the lithographic process at work. The image feels caught between representation and abstraction, as though the artist is conjuring up a scene, without fully defining it. Marks are built up using lithographic tusche wash, creating subtle tones, or drawn with grease crayon to establish bold linear forms. Notice too the gestural marks, where the artist has flicked the lithographic ink across the printing plate. The history of lithography is bound up with the industrial revolution. Invented in the late 18th century, it was quickly adopted by commercial printers for mass production, allowing images to be cheaply and easily reproduced. Yet here, Kumagai has used it to create a unique work, exploiting the medium's inherent qualities of texture and tone. This approach to lithography elevates printmaking from a purely commercial process to the realm of fine art.